Blood In
by Sarudoshi
Summary: sequel to 'Before the Sakura Falls': i kind of suck at explanations, so this is just an overall of the first anime season of Hakuouki told from my OC's POV. half Souji/OC, half Hajime/OC. rated T for language, slight gore scenes, and light smut. read/review please! thanks
1. Prologue - Poison Rain

_so, as promised, i am uploading the second installment of my Hakuouki fanfic series-thing. enjoy reading._

_the __**Hakuouki**__ crew belong to __**Kazuki Yone**__; __**Hijikata Yasakawa**__ belongs to __**me**__._

* * *

_**Chapter One: Prologue - Poison Rain**_

"The hell is all the squawking for? Some of us are trying to get their beauty sleep around here!"  
A head of jet black hair poked into the small room, annoyed and slightly sand-filled gray eyes looking at the occupants knowingly.

The man in the purple _haori_ frowned at the eaves-dropper. "Nothing of your concern, go back to sleep." He replied, his voice almost a growl.  
The woman pursed her lips and huffed, a scowl on her brow. "You don't tell me what the hell to do, you ancient, oversized..."

"Kawa-chan, calm yourself! Geez, we have a guest as you can see!" The jovial voice of the brown-haired captain interrupted in her insult.

Her eyes went to the tomboy in the pink _kosode_ before she scowled at her brown-haired comrade. "Fine, fine, don't twist my arm," she muttered as she plopped down at his side.

"So before Ms. Bitchy-britches came in, how exactly can you prove you're a girl?" The man with the green headband wondered, earning a glare from the aforementioned woman.  
"Maybe we can strip her down," his friend with reddish brown hair suggested.

"**Huh**!?" The tomboy yelped in surprise.

"Would you guys knock it off?" Kawa snapped at them, gray eyes narrowed, before she looked at the girl and smiled gently. "These idiots won't hurt you, or it's my sword in their skulls."  
She scowled from both of the men who'd spoken, reminiscent of their vice-commander's usually stern gaze, "Got it?"

They quieted slightly; the one with reddish brown hair rolled his eyes, "Like that'll happen; you can barely reach my forehead with those short legs of yours, Kawa-chan."  
"Shut up, Sano!" She barked, cheeks red in embarrassment as she made a mental note to beat him in the morning.

"Kawa, be quiet." The annoyed vice-commander snapped an order at her.  
She flinched at hearing his low voice before she scoffed and folded her arms in her sleeves. "Yes, Toshi." She muttered.

* * *

"Mess up and you're as good as dead..." He warned grimly.

She cuffed him over the head, making the brunette flinch and lift a hand to rub his head gingerly.  
"Must you always scare the poor girl? It makes me wonder how you'd behave with your sisters if you had any," she scolded, scowling slightly at him as she plopped down a few feet away.

"Geez, Kawa, lighten up! It's not like I was trying to intentionally scare her..." Souji quipped dramatically, looking at her with sore green eyes.

Kawa huffed. "Don't pull that innocent crap with me, Souji; you and I both know your middle name is '_sarcasm_'." She remarked patiently.

"Um, Miss Kawa, it's not a big deal, really..." Chizuru began humbly.

She looked over at the girl and smiled lightly. "I know, Chizuru-chan, I just like giving him a hard time is all. Kind of a knack I picked up since Toshi-nii let me stick around." She explained.  
"Why did he, anyway; he knows it's forbidden for women to be among the ranks of the Shinsengumi, let alone wield a blade." Hajime spoke up, glancing over at the black-haired woman.

A pout made its way to her full lips and she huffed. "Keep your nose to yourself, Mr. Perfection. You're nosier than Souji." Kawa declared.

"Hey!" The aforementioned man barked indignantly, earning a slight laugh from the girl.

He looked back at his _katana_ and sort of huffed. "I figured you would mention sooner or later that you were envious of my swordsmanship skills." He mused aloud.

Ever since she had arrived on the doorstep of their headquarters, Hajime could definitely see the resemblance in her short tempered manner she shared with their vice-commander.  
Of course he never warranted her blade to be pointed at his throat, that is; he wasn't born yesterday.

"I'm _what_?" Kawa asked slowly, a vein on her brow twitching dangerously.

Souji rolled his eyes and reached to grab her wrist as she reached for the pommel of her _katana_. "Cool it, Kawa-chan; the last thing ya want is to spill blood in the compound, right?" He reasoned.  
Her gray eyes met his green and she blushed slightly as their stares locked; she looked away, easing her grip on the _katana_. "Yeah, you're right." She mused quietly.

He smiled slightly in relief and squeezed her wrist, pulling his hand back.  
Kawa was short-tempered the majority of the time, and that sometimes got her in trouble in combat, but she did have a good head on her  
shoulders. She wasn't stupid enough to let a man take advantage of her, and she had both a good right hook and her _katana_ to prove it. It was what attracted him to her in the first place; that coupled with her beautiful face.

Kawa jabbed his forehead with two fingers; he blinked, looking at her. "Oi, what're you staring at?" She demanded.  
Souji regained his composure and huffed, allowing an easy grin to form on his face. "Just a face more beautiful than any geisha I've ever seen, that's all." He sighed with an off-hand gesture.

Her cheeks burned red (she ignored the sharp scowl Hajime shot at the brunette) and she huffed, folding her arms over her breasts. "Shut up, you're such a pervert." She grumbled, looking away.

* * *

Tension hung in the night air, making her nerves rise on edge.

"I really think Hijikata-san is just bein' seriously overprotective of you, Kawa-chan," Souji said more to her than to anyone else.  
She huffed at his opinion and scowled slightly, "Don't remind me, Souji; just because he's my half-brother doesn't mean I'm still a child."

He glanced at her and smiled a little, lightly, "Still shocked he let you come out on a raid tonight," he mused.

Kawa smiled at the commander infront of them, "Well it's mostly thanks to Kondou-san; otherwise he would've barred me in my room for the rest of the night." She replied.  
Okita smirked at her, "there's an idea." He muttered; she blushed and scowled at him, elbowing his ribs sharply, "Pervert." She growled.

* * *

_i know the opening is like all dialogue, but it gets better, i promise. :'D  
also, sorry for the first chapter being so short; there's an action scene in the next chapter so bear with me, yeah?_

_**feedback is loved so review please~ thanks!**_


	2. The Night's On Fire

_again (as promised) here's the action scene. bear with me, because i haven't done an action scene in a long while, so if it seems crappily done, i apologize in advance. enjoy!_

_the __**Hakuouki**__ crew belong to __**Kazuki Yone-sensei**__; __**Hijikata Yasakawa**__ belongs to __**me**__. :'D_

* * *

_**Chapter Two: The Night's (On Fire)**_

_'Why can't I fight?' She'd demanded of him, gray eyes disbelieving and stubborn all in one._

_'You damn well know why! It's forbidden for women to become Shinsengumi members, let alone wield a sword...' He'd snapped sharply._

_'So what? Not everything can be a man's world! I'd rather die fighting to the death than die helpless.' Her eyes softened slightly, 'Toshi-nii, I don't ever want to die like my mother.'_

_Hijikata stared at her hard for a long moment before he exhaled and looked down. _  
_'You will report to Okita during patrols, and don't even think of sneaking out at night after curfew...'_

_'Thank you, brother!' Kawa threw her arms around him and laughed; he blinked slightly before returning the embrace and squeezing slightly. 'I won't let you down, honest!' _  
_She kissed his cheek and smiled brightly at her sibling, hopping to her feet and exiting his room to go tell the others._

* * *

"Todou-kun!"  
She hurtled into the tall man from the side, throwing him back to the far corner of the wall.

"Kawa, Kondou-san told you to stay downstairs, remember?" He declared as he scrambled to his feet and stood at her side as the tall man regained his footing.

She scoffed, "Kondou-san will be okay; he's not the commander for nothin', kid." She replied, baring her sword threateningly at the tall man.

"Isn't it forbidden for women to carry a sword? Especially moreso if they're not allowed into the Shinsengumi," the man wondered in a low tone, perking her ears.  
"You're afraid of a woman kicking your ass? That's not the first time I've heard that." She sized up his height and smirked, "You're kinda big to be worrying over that, though."

The man placed a hand up in surrender, surprising her slightly, "If you fall back now, I won't be forced to cut you down. It'd be a pity to cut down a beautiful face such as yours."

"Unfortunately for you, I can't allow you to continue with what you Choshuu guys are doing...!" Heisuke flew at him from her side.

"Todou, you idiot!" Kawa said, widening her eyes slightly when the man caught his charging blade, halting his charge.  
"I honestly can't say I'm pleased that you would consider me one of the Choshuu," the man said in lament.

She glared at him. "Then where does your allegiance lie; who's your leader?" She demanded coldly.

He hit his belly, tensing up and plowing his fist into his forehead, shattering the headband and sending him flying back into the room.  
"Heisuke!" Kawa declared, glaring at the man and grunting as she flew at him; he caught her sword-wielding arm, surprising her.

"It is a very noble thing of you to avenge your comrade," he plucked the sword from her hand, tossing it aside, "don't tempt me to do you what I did to him." He threw her back.  
She staggered slightly, glaring up at him before she turned to her friend, "Heisuke, can you get up?" She asked concernedly as she ducked down to his side.

The man turned to leave. "W-wait!" She barked, watching him leave through the balcony; she scowled and grimaced. "Damn it." She looked down at her friend, the scowl on her face as she saw he was knocked unconscious from the man's plowing fist to his forehead.

The clanging of blades sounded nearby, reminding her that Souji was still locked in combat.  
"Souji," she began as she stepped away from Heisuke's side.

"Stay out of this, Kawa! Don't worry over me, I'll be just fine." He ordered, glancing her way and smiling easily.  
She scowled at him and huffed. "Idiot." She retreated to the boy's side, checking to see he was still breathing, much to her relief.

Haggard coughing sounded from Souji's side of the room, perking her ears; she looked over to see he was coughing up blood.  
She swore under her breath and clenched the handle of her katana, looking at her comrade, her friend, worriedly.  
He panted as he faced down against the blonde-haired man, making her grimace at seeing his own blood smudging his chin and lip.

The blonde smirked and dodged as he struck first, swiping at his right side and grazing him.  
"Souji!" She barked, watching the blonde block his strike from hitting; she grunted and sprinted forward, crashing into the blonde when he wasn't looking and throwing him back into a corner of the room.

"K-Kawa, you idiot! Get away!" Souji snapped at the woman as she stood as a blockade infront of him, allowing a cough to escape from between his clenched teeth.  
She bared her _katana_ brazenly as the man straightened and picked up his discarded blade. "Stop talking, will you? The last thing I want is for you to bleed to death from running your mouth, idiot." She snapped.

The blonde looked the woman up and down and scoffed, holding his _katana_ lightly. "Now this is strange, seeing a woman wearing a Shinsengumi _haori_. They must be desperate for recruits." He mused aloud.

Kawa glared at him and huffed, clenching the hilt of her _katana_. "Unlike with this idiot, I have no problem cutting a bastard like you to pieces." She sneered, charging him and lifting her sword high.

"Kawa-chan!" She heard the girl's voice proclaim from the doorway of the room as he met her challenge, briefly distracting her.  
She glanced her way before dodging his swipe for her belly, stepping aside and swinging the _katana_ at his open back.  
He blocked, his _katana_ clashing with hers, slightly surprising her.

Kawa glowered into his eyes as he tried to push her back against the wall, her heels digging into the floor as she held her weight against the intertwined blades.  
"You're pretty good." He said in slight wonder.  
She huffed. "That's my line." She shoved against him, blocking his swinging _katana_ with her own as their blades locked together again.

He let her shove him away, his foot propelling and slamming into her gut; she grimaced and flew back into the wall.

"Kawa-chan!" Chizuru cried in surprise.  
She spat out a small wad of blood, perking up slightly as the man took notice of the girl, steering his attention away from the woman.

"You're another of their comrades, huh? Stay out of this or I'll cut you down too, little one." The blonde mused, pointing his blade at the girl.

Kawa slammed into the blonde, knocking him away. "**Don't** drag her into this." She snarled, defending the girl as he regained his footing.  
The man scoffed. "Insufferable woman, keep your nose out of this." He lunged at her.

"Kawa!" The girl exclaimed.  
A loud '_klang_' of blades sounded, surprising both women; the man widened his eyes slightly.  
Souji blocked his blade from descending, moonlight glinting off his own _katana's_ blade.

"Souji," Kawa breathed in awe.  
He scoffed, extending his free hand to block her from moving beyond his blockade. "You really are an idiotic woman sometimes, Kawa." He scolded lightly.

"You can't protect both of them in your weakened state." The blonde pointed out.  
"I'll show you useless," Okita growled as he made to lunge.

"You mustn't, you're coughing up blood!" Chizuru declared as Kawa grabbed a fistful of his _haori_ and pulled him back.  
"Souji, don't." She pleaded.

He allowed both of them to hold him back, scowling at the blonde. "What're you up to?" He demanded.

"From the moment you arrived here, my work was finished." He answered.

Chizuru looked away as she and Kawa both noticed that the noise had stopped.  
"Wait!" Souji declared as the blonde turned to leave through the balcony, bringing their attention to them.

He fell forward as he tried to follow the man; Kawa hurried to his side, gingerly hoisting his arm over her shoulder and looking at him with worried eyes. "Souji, enough! Please, you're..." She began.  
"Kawa, don't start." He argued, his green eyes penetrating her gray gaze; she blushed slightly and quieted, looking at the man leaving them be at last. "I-I can still fight..." He insisted before he quieted and fell unconscious.

"Okita-san!" Chizuru declared as Kawa looked at him and frowned, grimacing at the sight of his blood.  
"Chizuru, get my brother, and Hajime. Please." She ordered the girl, looking up at her big brown eyes.

She nodded. "Will Okita-san be okay?" She asked worriedly.  
She returned the nod and smiled slightly. "He'll be fine. Just get my brother." She reassured her.  
"Right!" She replied, turning to exit the room and find the vice-commander.

Kawa looked down at Souji again and sighed. "You're such an idiot, Souji." She whispered, lowering a hand to brush some hair from his face.

* * *

Both men sighed dejectedly.  
She looked at them and looked at her brother. "Nii-san, if it's all right with you, may I stay behind as well? My shoulder's kinda stiff from when we raided the Ikedaya, still..." She requested.

Both Okita and Hajime looked at her in slight surprise.  
Hijikata glanced at her and nodded. "Do as you wish, just see to it that you keep your nose out of any trouble. Is that understood?" He replied.  
Kawa nodded. "You got it." She smiled lightly and bowed her head gratefully.

Souji ribbed her. "How sweet, stickin' around for my sake." He teased.  
Her cheeks warmed and she ribbed him back. "Don't kid yourself, you lech." She scolded, cutting her gaze to the side.  
He chuckled.

* * *

_feedback is loved, so review please! thanks~_


	3. Bleeding Thorns

_mostly dialogue again. if it's boring in any way to you guys, don't bother reading, okay? it's kind of a slow start.. ^^; but if you do continue reading, mozeltoff i salute you! and thanks. enjoy!_

_the __**Hakuouki**__ crew belong to __**Kazuki Yone-sensei**__; __**Kawa**__ is mine._

* * *

**_Chapter Three: Bleeding Thorns_**

"Hajime," she began, perking his ears; he glanced at her.

"What is it?" He asked, still slightly brittle that she'd decided to stay behind with Souji; her gray eyes were slightly concerned when he met her gaze.

Kawa smiled slightly.  
"Try not to get killed, okay? Not that you will, but... just don't try anything stupid. All right?" She requested, her cheeks warming as she felt just the slightest bit worried about her friend.

Hajime quieted slightly; was she worried for him? He nodded and slightly huffed. "I can't make any promises on that, but I'll try." He replied, seeing her nod.

* * *

"Hey, Kawa, come here for a sec." She perked up as Shinpachi called her over to where he, Sano, Souji and Hajime were.

She went to join them, poking her head past Shinpachi's body leaning against the doorway, her eyes focusing on the black-haired man wearing lilac robes and talking with Kondo-san; she snorted slightly.

"Who's Mr. Fancy?" She covered her mouth daintily to hide a grin. This guy looked prettier than _her_! And that was saying something.

Souji smirked at her. "Itou Kashitarou. He's the head of a dojo in Edo. I'm surprised you haven't heard of him, Kawa." He informed.

Kawa punched his arm and huffed, folding her arms at her chest as she stood between Sano and Shinpachi. "No, I haven't; I was trained elsewhere. And besides, this guy's prettier than I ever could aspire to be."

Hajime smirked at her as Sano and Shinpachi snickered; Souji chuckled. "I dunno there, Kawa-chan~." He teased.  
She blushed and smirked.

* * *

He almost bumped into her; she blinked and stepped back, smiling sheepishly.  
"Sorry, Toshi..." She began to apologize.

"I'm glad I found you; you've seen Itou-san, correct?" He asked, perking her ears.

Kawa nodded. "Yeah, what're you getting at?" She wondered, tilting her head to one side.

Hijikata frowned at her. "No matter what happens, you are to not come into contact with him while Itou-san is here..." He declared.

"Toshi-nii, why not!? Just because I'm a _woman_...?" She demanded.

"The very reason! If he does see you, act as if you are helping Chizuru around the headquarters. Am I understood?" He argued.

Kawa glared at him. "Why can't you just explain that you took me in after my mother passed away..?" She asked, placing a fist on her hip.

Hijikata returned the glare. "If he thinks one of us is soft, then he will think the rest of us are. You know it's forbidden for women to join the ranks of the Shinsengumi." He explained patiently.

She clenched her fists and scoffed. "Fine, I won't. But if he asks, I'm telling." She complied at last, her gray eyes clashing with his violet.

He nodded slightly. "Don't get into something you can't get out of, either." He mused.  
She huffed and walked past him. "That goes double for you, brother." She said over her shoulder.

He rolled his eyes and smirked slightly after her. _Now I see the resemblance_, he thought, continuing to the kitchen.

* * *

Something didn't feel right.  
She sat up in bed, looking about her room to see that all was well.

The feeling still bugged her; she frowned, straightening and throwing her clothes on, placing one of her swords at her right hip and quietly sliding open her door.

She looked out at the cold night and shivered slightly, moving to the room nearest hers, which was Hajime's.  
"Hajime," she hissed, knocking on his door.

A quiet shuffling sounded from behind the _shoji_. "Do you have any idea what time it is?" His quiet and slightly disgruntled voice sounded.

Kawa rolled her eyes and opened the door to see him in his sleeping wear. "Something's up, come on." She urged, handing him one of his _katana_ as he straightened.

Hajime frowned at her and sighed. "Like what?" He asked, getting dressed despite feeling like she was worrying over nothing.

She frowned back. "I don't know, it just feels bad. Hurry up," she declared, dragging him by the hand out of his room.

* * *

"...Tonight will decide whether he lives or dies, or becomes broken." He assessed.

"Toshi," she looked at him alertly, gathering the girl in her arms gingerly.

"Yasakawa, now isn't the time to argue about this." Hijikata snapped.

Kawa quieted at the use of her full name, scowling at him. "Right."

* * *

_feedback is loved; thanks~ _


	4. Never Gonna Hit the Air

_another action scene, so bear with me. kind of rusty. enjoy!_

_the __**Hakuouki**__ crew belongs to __**Kazuki Yone-sensei**__; __**Kawa**__ is mine. _

* * *

_**Chapter Four: Never Gonna Hit the Air**_

A _wakizashi_ flew past the blonde man, narrowly missing him.

The girl looked about in surprise.  
"Kawa-chan!" She declared in relief as the woman walked forward, spare _katana_ at her side.

"So that explains why I wasn't able to cut you to ribbons back at Ikedaya! I was beginning to wonder what form of man you really were." The woman mused jovially, pausing short of standing infront of the girl. She gripped the handle of her _katana_. "Whether she's human or demon, Chizuru is part of our family; and if you disturb that in any way, I have no problem killing you." She advised coldly, glowering into the blonde's red eyes.

The man scoffed and drew his own _katana_. "'Family'? I didn't think the wolves of Mibu were considering themselves to be something that was beyond their reach..." He remarked coolly.

Kawa glared at him. "Why you..." She growled.

"Kawa-chan, he's too strong; don't fight him!" Chizuru piped up alertly.

She glanced back at her. "Chizuru," she began quietly.  
The man huffed. "Typical of a woman to behave _uselessly_." He sneered.

Kawa grunted and swung her blade.

"**No**!" The girl cried.

The glint of silver directed her gaze away from the blonde as a figure wielding a spear and a second figure wielding a sword blocked both women from the three strangers.  
"Now now, having a lover's date in an unromantic place like this is a bad choice." The redhead captain said lightly, moonlight glinting off his spear's tip.

"Sano, Hajime," Kawa declared quietly, lowering her sword-wielding arm reluctantly.

"You bumpkins are back for more, huh? It seems you country-side dogs are quick-witted, if nothing else." The blonde scoffed.

"That would be my line," Hajime put in stiffly.  
"Harada-san, Saitou-san!" Chizuru declared in relief.

"Hajime," she looked at him, perking up as her brother appeared as well; _now it's a party_, she thought with a wry smirk.

* * *

She looked at her and sighed. "So you're an oni, hm?" She wondered.

The girl looked at her and quieted. "Kawa-chan, I..." She began.

"Look, it doesn't matter to me whether you're like those guys or not. As far as I'm concerned, you have a place here with the Shinsengumi, with us. If they try to take you again, you can count on me to defend you."  
She glanced at her surprised brown eyes and smiled in a sisterly-manner. "I'm not afraid of oni." She added lightly.

Chizuru returned the smile, weakly, and nodded. "Thank you, Kawa-chan! I... I'm glad, that you're being a good friend." She added, bowing slightly.

Kawa blinked and then giggled quietly, smirking. "Well in a place filled with idiotic men, us women have to stick together, right? And drop the formality for the gods' sakes! It's Kawa." She remarked with a dramatic sigh.

The girl laughed. "O-Okay, Kawa-chan... I mean, Kawa." She chortled.  
The woman laughed gently.

"Oi, who're you calling 'idiot men'?" Souji barked as he poked his head into the woman's room, seeming to have overheard the two females talking.

She lobbed a book at him. "You, you lummox! Get the hell out of my room!" She snarled, glaring at him.

He ducked the book, smiling at her. "Nice place you got here," he said appreciatively as he stuck his head back in.  
Kawa jumped to her feet and walked toward the door. "**I said GET OUT!**" She shouted, shoving him away and slamming the door shut.

"Ow, geez, that hurt!" Souji cried from outside, rubbing his nose gingerly.  
"Well get lost, you perverted lech!" She snapped.

The girl sweatdropped.

She looked over at her and smiled, jerking a thumb over her shoulder. "See what I mean?" She said.

Chizuru nodded, chuckling as the aforementioned man shot back a remark at the woman.  
Kawa kicked the wood of the door. "Shut up, Souji!"

The girl laughed again.

* * *

She perked an ear as the girl was running towards the main temple room. "What's the rush for?" She wondered when she skidded to a halt in front of the doorway.

"Itou-san said something about a health inspection." The girl explained, making her look into the room as well.

Her cheeks burned red when she looked at her friends to see they were half-dressed, showing off their well-built torsos as if in pride.

"Well don't you look surprised," Hajime mused as he saw the black-haired woman looking into the room near the girl.  
Kawa's face burned a darker red; she scoffed. "Shut up and put a shirt on, for the gods' sakes, Hajime! Geez, you'll catch a cold." She stammered, glowering into his smug gaze.

He chuckled quietly, moving forward in line.

"Hey Kawa-chan, check out these muscles!" Sano declared, flexing his muscles like the ham that he was.  
She blushed and then laughed. "You mean the mouth on your gut, Sano?" She teased.

He huffed. "What mouth? That's a scar of honor!" He proclaimed dramatically, flexing again.

Kawa rolled her eyes. "Not from what Shinpachi told me." She said with a calm sigh.  
"H-hey!" He barked before she burst out laughing.

Chizuru started laughing too.

Hajime smirked at the woman, walking toward her. "I'm surprised Hijikata-san hasn't made you get a health inspection, yet." He mused.  
Kawa blinked and then blushed again, scowling. "You'd love to see that show, wouldn't you?" She quipped, crossing her arms at her chest, inadverdently making her cleavage stick out more from her shirt's collar.

He smirked again, his blue eyes smug. "You have no idea." He teased coolly.

She scowled again and huffed, the blush on her face deepening, as she stabbed his chest with a finger. "Keep dreaming, Mr. Perfect. You know that'd prolly never happen." She remarked in the same tone.

Hajime took her hand calmly, smoothing her fingers out in his gentle grip. "That goes double for you, Ms. Reckless." He mused.  
Kawa blushed more and shook his hand off hers, crossing her arms again. "Shut up, will you?" She grumbled.

"Aww, I think Saitou-san is finally softening up to our Lady of the Sword, Sano-san~!" Shinpachi declared behind them, making the couple blush.

"Now is really not the time, Shinpachi..." Hajime grumbled, glaring embarrassedly at the blue-eyed captain.

"Well it's about time! I was startin' to wonder if she'd ever loosen up around here..." Sano chimed with a laugh.

"Shut up, Sano!" Kawa snapped, her cheeks a shade of dark red as she glared daggers at both captains.

Chizuru watched them with a quiet laugh.

* * *

_feedback is loved, so review please! thanks~_


	5. Nagareboshi no Zetsumei

_not much to put here, except that there's slight fluff in this chapter :'D enjoy._

_i do not own Hakuouki; the only thing i own in this fic is Kawa._

* * *

_**Chapter Five: Nagareboshi no Zetsumei**_

Her eyes widened slightly.  
He looked at her as she quieted, lowering her gaze to the sword she was polishing in her lap. "Say something, will you?" He asked, feeling that if she didn't say something soon he was going to go crazy.

She looked up at him, feeling the warm sting of tears beginning in the corners of her eyes. "Why did you wait to tell me _now_?" She demanded softly.  
He fought the reflexive wince at hearing her hurt tone. "I didn't wanna scare you or anythin', y'know..." He offered, trying to return to his usual aloof tone.

Kawa's hand caught his, diverting his attention away from her face down to her hand that covered his, seeing that her forearm was shaking.  
Souji looked at her to see she looked down at his hand, her fingers squeezing tight. "You're such an idiot," she scolded, her voice cracking.

He lowered his gaze. "Kawa," he began quietly, lifting his free hand to gingerly stroke her hair.  
She flinched slightly, looking up at his green eyes before she held his hand and sniffed.

Souji ducked to kiss her softly, surprising her.  
Kawa blushed and pulled away to embrace him, her nails digging into his shoulders.

He held onto her, hearing her weep quietly into his robes.

* * *

She rolled her eyes. "Geez, you guys act more idiotic when you drink sake..." She muttered, munching on a clump of rice.  
"Oh come on, Kawa-chan, drinking won't kill ya~," Shinpachi declared as he poured some sake into her cup.

Kawa made a face. "You're one to talk, Nagakura," she remarked, sipping some of the strong drink from her cup, ignoring the slight burning taste on her throat.  
Hajime huffed, sipping some of his own sake. "I had a feeling you couldn't hold your liquor as well as the rest of us." He mused as he was seated at her right.

She scowled at him, downing the rest of her cup. "Oh yeah?" She quipped, grabbing his cup from his hand and downing the rest of his sake.  
He made a face. "Kawa, don't overdo it..." He began patiently.

Hijikata sighed and snatched his cup away from her searching hand, scowling. "Enough; you were permitted to come along only at the insistence of Souji and Yukimura, don't push it." He scolded, sipping his sake.  
Kawa pouted. "Aww c'mon, nii-san, it's rare we get to live a little! Geez, you're such a prude!" She exclaimed sorely.

Souji snorted and started laughing. "Y'know, I don't think she's far off the mark with that one, Hijikata-san..." He said as he downed another cup, seeing her smile at him before she grinned over at her brother rather smugly.

"Keep your nose out of this, Souji." He rounded on him sharply.

"Now now, children," Shinpachi sighed exasperatedly.

Chizuru and Kawa laughed as both aforementioned men scowled at the brunette.

"Chizuru, did you leave headquarters that night?" Sano asked then, stirring their attention away from both Souji and Hijikata, changing subject.

She blinked. "No, I never leave headquarters at night. Honest," she replied.  
She scowled slightly. "You must've been seeing things, Sano," she mused, crossing her arms at her chest.

"What's with all the questions, Sano?" Shinpachi wondered, looking at him.  
He kept his eyes on the girl. "It's just when we fought against the Tosa guys, a girl that looked just like Chizuru was there. And our squadron fell apart." Sano explained, perking her ears.

"It can't be," Chizuru murmured.

"It can't have been her, Chizuru wouldn't be willing to aid any rebels; would you, Chizu-chan?" Kawa defended sternly, looking at the girl who nodded earnestly.

"Wait a second, couldn't that be the cute girl you, me and Heisuke met out on patrol the other day?" Souji wondered, looking at the girl.  
"What '_cute girl_'?" Kawa demanded slowly, scowling at the green-eyed man.

"The girl said her name was Kaoru Nagamo, and she did look a lot like you, didn't she?" He went on, ignoring the death glare shot in his direction from the gray-eyed woman at his right that stabbed her elbow into his ribs rather sharply.

"That's not enough to..." She began.

"I didn't really think about it, but after all, she was dressed like a girl, y'know?" Heisuke mused.

"I believe we should have Chizuru dress in a girl's kimono." Hajime piped up, quieting the room.

"**Huh**!?" Chizuru barked.  
Kawa blinked before she smiled at the girl. "You'd look _beautiful_ in a kimono, Chizu-chan!" She declared lightly.

"Chizuru!" Heisuke exclaimed as he and Shinpachi hopped to their feet.  
"Hey yeah, that's a great idea! Hey, Miss Kimigiku, would you kindly dress this girl up for us!?" Shinpachi chimed, looking at the geisha woman hopefully as the girl made a face.

"You all..." Hijikata stepped in before the geisha placed a hand on his chest and stopped him.  
"Very well, I'll do my best." She said lightly.

She looked at her friend. "B-but Kawa...!" She protested when she helped her up and ushered her after the woman as she stepped out of the room.  
"You'll be _fiiine_, Chizu-chan~! Trust me!" She laughed gently, letting the woman take her out of the room and closed the door behind their exit.

"Oi, Kawa-chan, why tha hell didn't you go too!?" Shinpachi wondered, looking up at the woman as she went to sit back down between Hajime and Souji.  
She blinked. "Huh?" She demanded.

"It's bad enough you forced one of them to dress up like that, but to have the both of them dress like that is asking for it!" Hijikata intervened, glaring at the brown-haired captain with daggers in his eyes.

She looked at him and smiled gently, sighing. "Calm yourself, nii-chan, it's just a question! Just because you're soft on the girl doesn't mean you've gotta be over-protective of me..." She said jovially.

"**What was that**!?" He rounded on her, a vein on his brow pulsating dangerously.  
She shrugged, stealing the bottle from his tray and pouring herself more sake. "You heard me. Or has the sake made you _deaf_ as well?" She wondered.

All five men looked between the siblings, the patient sister and the pissy brother.

Hijikata scoffed and crossed his arms at his chest. "You're drinking too much." He growled.  
Kawa shrugged innocently. "At least I can hold my liquor." She said patiently.

* * *

The seven marveled at the sight of the girl in the kimono.

"Wah, Chizu-chan, you look _gorgeous_!" Kawa beamed.

"Man, talk about a change! For a second there, I didn't know who that was!" Souji declared in awe, ignoring the elbow jabbed into his ribs from the woman at his right.  
"Well, does she look the same to you, Sano-san?" Hajime wondered, looking at the redhead.

Sano looked at her and put a finger to his chin. "Hm, well Chizuru's so damn pretty, I can't tell anymore." He said thoughtfully.

Kawa tossed her empty cup at him. "Pervert, stop staring! She's just a girl for the gods' sakes!" She scolded annoyedly.  
Souji pulled her arm back gently. "Cool it, Kawa-chan, he didn't do nothin' to hurt the poor girl." He chided lightly, seeing her blush; she huffed and shirked free, folding her arms. "Shut up." She muttered.

Hajime sweatdropped slightly when Shinpachi and Heisuke commented as well before the girl left the room. "Great, now you've done it." He mused.  
Kawa rolled her eyes and elbowed him. "Like you weren't staring too, Haji-kun." She teased, perking his ears.

His ears burned slightly when she spoke his pet-name she'd given him after they'd first met, huffing. "Hijikata's right, you've drunk too much." He remarked.  
She blushed and huffed as well, crossing her arms. "Hush up, idiot." She scolded, missing the smug smirk he sent her way.

"Where is Hijikata-san anyway?" Souji wondered, perking her ears.  
Kawa shrugged. "I think he stepped out for a minute." She offered calmly.

"You don't think..." Heisuke began, perking her ears.  
"Nah! He's not that desperate as far as any of us know!" Sano declared.

"Would you guys knock it off? My brother isn't like that! He may be a man, but he's respectful towards women, so I doubt he'd pull something stupid!" Kawa barked, frowning at the both of them.

Souji quieted and smirked gently at her. "Geez, Kawa, ya act like we're accusin' him of murder or somethin' like that." He teased.  
She scowled slightly at him. "Close enough," she muttered as she sat back down at his side.

Hajime sipped his sake. "Either way, it's apparent that you're right on that matter." He mused calmly.

Kawa looked at him and smiled softly, nodding. "I'm glad." She said.

* * *

_feedback is loved so review please! thanks~ _


	6. Full Circle

_more fluff in this chapter :'D and some counseling.. anyway, enjoy the read!_

_i don't own Hakuouki; the only character i own in this fic is Kawa. _

* * *

_**Chapter Six: Full Circle**_

He glanced back into the room. "Looks like we're busted, should I kill him?" He wondered as Kondou-san led the distraught Itou-san away from her room.  
She rolled her eyes at his response, elbowing his ribs. "Get in line, Souji, you're not the only one he's pissed off." She chided calmly.

She blinked when her brother offered his room to the girl for the night, watching her storm out of the room; she looked up at him and smirked gently. "Taking it a step further, I suppose?" She wondered.  
He scowled at her. "Don't start with that nonsense, Kawa." He warned, his voice near a growl.

Kawa sighed. "Whatever, Toshi-nii; oi, Chizu-chan, wait up." She waved him off, trotting out after the girl's trail.  
Chizuru looked up at the older girl. "Kawa-chan," she acknowledged in slight surprise when she fell in step at her side.

She folded her arms in her sleeves. "Don't pay mind to my brother, he's just being over-protective. It's in his nature." She apologized, her gray eyes meeting the girl's brown eyes.  
She blushed and looked away, holding her arm gingerly. "Why does he think I can't look after myself?" She wondered aloud, perking her ears.

Kawa stifled a yawn with her hand, allowing a soft laugh. "Because he's slightly sexist." She offered.  
"Huh?" Chizuru looked at her in confusion.

She shrugged innocently. "He's always been like that; it takes awhile for him to get used to having a woman around. He was like that when I first joined." She explained.  
She nodded and lowered her gaze, entering his room with the older girl at her heels. "That makes sense. But why just me?" She asked, looking at her as if she knew all the answers to her questions.

Kawa's eyes softened and she smiled, ripping a strip of cloth from her robe and rolling the girl's sleeve up.  
"Who knows? Maybe because he's falling for you." She mused, tying the strip of cloth around her wound and ripping the spare pieces off with her teeth, spitting them to the side.

Chizuru blushed again at her musings, cutting her gaze to the side. "Do... do you really think that's what it is?" She asked softly, perking her ears.

She smiled and ruffled her hair gently, meeting the girl's brown eyes. "I'd like to hope so. He's not like other guys, if that's what you're wondering. Besides, I don't mind slapping him upside the head to keep him in check." She said, her tone turning kind and jovial.

She blinked and then nodded, smiling weakly. "Thank you for fixing my arm, Kawa-chan." She thanked her.

Kawa shrugged again and ran a hand through her hair, smiling. "No problem. Get some sleep, okay? If you intend to pull your weight around here, you'd better start with good sleep." She advised lightly, straightening to head out of the room.

Chizuru nodded and smiled at her. "Okay. Good night, Kawa." She said, watching the older girl glance back at her and wink before she returned to her own room to a warm bed.

* * *

She spat out her tea, coughing.  
He sort of made a face. "Try not to die before I leave." He advised as she regained her bearings and shook her head.

She looked up at him, her black hair acting as a veil from letting him see her face. "But why you? Couldn't he have chosen someone else?" She demanded.  
He shook his head. "It isn't just me; Heisuke is going along, as well..." He began to explain.

"I know that! But I'm asking why **you** of all people?" She cut across him, her gray eyes like broken blades as they tightened in anger and confusion and pain.  
He studied her expression for a moment longer before sipping his tea. "Apparently because out of all of us, Itou-san believes I am the best when wielding a sword." He explained quietly.

Kawa looked down at her hands as they balled into fists, her black hair falling down her shoulders softly. "Hajime, _don't_." She said softly.  
Hajime glanced at her from sipping his tea again. "'_Don't_' what?" He asked.

She scowled at him, stubbornly fighting annoyed tears that brimmed at her eyes. "Don't go." She said, her voice thick with emotion.  
He returned the scowl and lowered his cup, his blue eyes piercing her gaze. "I can't do anything about that, Kawa." He stated.

Kawa stood to her feet, moving away from him to pace near the back wall of her room. "Of course you can; you can decline his offer, you can run away..." She mumbled.  
Hajime watched her, failing to keep his gaze from darting to her curved hips when she paced. "It's not as easy as you'd believe it is, and you know it." He argued.

She scowled again and crossed her arms over her breasts, reminding him eerily of Hijikata's stern face. "I knew I should have killed that prick myself when I had the chance!" She growled angrily.  
His eyes tightened at her disgruntled words. "Why are you so against my leave anyway?" He asked slowly, making her pause in pacing.

Her cheeks burned and she huffed. "It's none of your business, **Saitou**." She snapped, her voice defensive.  
He stood to grab her wrist, stopping her from pacing any more. "It sounds like it **should** be my business." He retorted, his blue eyes like cold fires that shook her to her core.

Kawa jerked her wrist free, striding past him to open her door wide from having it left ajar.  
Hajime looked at her and quieted, moving towards the door.

She grabbed his sleeve, pulling him back; he looked at her in confusion, seeing her gaze was lowered to the floor.  
He watched her gray eyes lift to meet his inquiring blue gaze.

Kawa kissed him hard, her fingers grappling for his scarf.  
Hajime grabbed her waist, kissing her back just as hard, hearing her groan softly against his lips as he brought her closer.  
She pulled back reluctantly, her eyes sad, before she buried her face into his shoulder and held onto his strong shoulders tightly.  
He held her protectively to his body, looking at her and running a hand through her jet black hair that fell down her shoulders gracefully, his free arm squeezing her waist tight.

"Whatever happens, don't die out there. Got it?" She requested, trying to sound stern but sounding like a pleading child to her own ears.  
He nodded and rested his cheek against the side of her head. "So long as you keep your nose out of trouble." He returned, hearing her laugh softly.

Kawa nodded, pulling away to rub her nose gingerly and smile up at him. "I'll try." She said quietly.  
Hajime returned the smile, kissing her forehead, making her blush again, before he pulled away from her reluctantly.

She watched him leave her room, not without looking back at her and allowing a smile, before he walked away.  
He glanced over his shoulder at the door of her room as it closed after his leave and sighed, retreating to his own room.

* * *

"_You're in the way, brother!_" She swung her blade at the giant, watching him dodge it effortlessly.  
He glanced at her as she stood at his side, _katana_ held tight in her left hand. "Kawa, where is Chizuru?" He demanded.

She shrugged. "Shimada-san's got her covered. Besides, this bastard deserves a taste of my blade." She answered, gray meeting violet.  
He scowled at her and gripped his own _katana_. "You never change," he mused, perking her ears; she smirked gently.

"Two against one? That seems quite unfair, considering it would take more than two of you to ever cut me down." The man named Amagiri noted, directing their attention back to the task at hand.  
Kawa huffed. "Well as the saying goes, two heads are better than one, no?" She quipped, drawing her _wakizashi_ from her right hip's side and crossing the blades before wielding both in her hands.  
"I wasn't aware you knew the two-sword style that well," Hijikata wondered as he raised his _katana_.

She shrugged again. "You never asked." She replied calmly, grunting and leaping at the giant.  
He dodged, his right fist flying to connect with her gut.

She swerved out of the way, watching her brother lunge forward, narrowly missing the giant's arm as he dodged it, propelling a foot at his open chest. "Toshi!" She exclaimed as he fell back.

He dug his heels into the ground and regained himself, panting slightly and watching as his half-sister lunged at the giant, moonlight glinting off the silver of her two blades as they swiped angrily at the man, soon becoming blurs of light-catching streaks that lashed out like twin scythes.  
_She really has gotten strong_, he thought, watching a fist grab the _wakizashi_ in her right hand and yank her off the ground.  
"Yasakawa!" He barked, rushing forward.

Amagiri glared into the fierce woman's glowering gray eyes as his grip tightened. "Hopeless woman." He threw her away, watching her crash into her comrade's oncoming body as both of them fell.  
Kawa grimaced and scrambled off her brother, grabbing her discarded swords and holding them in her hands. "Bastard." She spat, standing to her feet.  
Hijikata straightened as well, looking at her as he grabbed his _katana_. "Are you all right?" He asked.  
She nodded and smirked slightly. "Never better." She replied.

"Chizuru!" Sano declared, directing their attention away from Amagiri to see Kazama carrying the unconscious girl over his shoulder.

"Let her go!" Shinpachi chimed angrily.

He lowered her to the ground, smirking at Hijikata. "Care to take her back by force?" He wondered brazenly.  
He scowled at him, stepping away from his sister's side. "Interesting; you've trespassed into the Shinsengumi's headquarters and we won't put up with your senseless behavior!" He declared as he swung his blade at his adversary's _katana_, watching him block.

"Toshi," she began as they fought on, gripping both hilts of her blades tight in anticipation.  
"Kawa, get to the girl, I'll hold him off!" Shinpachi declared as he lunged at Amagiri, being blocked by his arm.

She sprinted to the girl's side, kneeling next to her and shaking her shoulders. "Chizu-chan, wake up, come on, wake up!" She barked, shaking her again.  
The girl stirred, opening her eyes wide as the sound of blades clashing rang in the air around them. "K-Kawa-chan," she stammered, perking up as she looked at Hijikata battling with Kazama. "Hijikata-san!"

Kawa glared up at the blonde _oni_, helping the girl straighten to her feet. "Chizuru, are you okay?" She asked, looking at her concernedly.  
Chizuru nodded, grabbing hold of her _wakizashi_'s hilt. "I'm fine, Kawa." She replied, seeing the older girl nod before they both saw her brother's blade fly into the air.

"Toshi!" She exclaimed, making to run to his side before the girl rushed past her, blade drawn as she dove in to protect him. "**Chizuru**!" She barked alertly as the blade was about to descend on them.  
He moved in to block the oncoming blade, holding the girl protectively, surprising his half-sister, glowering up at Kazama.

"Why do you continue to side with the humans? In the end, you'll only end up being betrayed by them! You've seen those fake devils they've created, haven't you? What merit is there in aligning with fools who make abominations like that?" Kazama demanded.

"Despite all of that, I believe in them." Chizuru managed, perking her ears.

"Chizuru," Kawa murmured in surprise, feeling a happy smile form on her lips despite the surprise at hearing the girl's words.

She watched as the _oni_ retreated into the darkness of night, glancing back to see her brother retreat to his quarters as Sano and Shinpachi remained to comfort the girl and perking up as she sank to her knees.  
"Chizuru," she declared as she went to her side, kneeling next to her.

She looked up at the older girl with tears in her eyes; she met her gaze and smiled, sighing. "You're all right, and I'm glad. Otherwise I'd have to kill Toshi for acting so reckless." She added with a giggle.

Sano chuckled. "I'm surprised you haven't done so already." He mused lightly, perking her ears.  
Kawa laughed and smiled at him. "I know. Hey wait, so why don't you or Shin-chan ever contemplate protecting me?" She wondered.

Shinpachi rolled his eyes and planted a hand on her head, ruffling her hair. "Because you're old enough to stand on your own feet; besides, you can kick some ass all on your own." He sighed.

Kawa blinked and then laughed, punting his hand off her head. "Chivalry is dead with you, Shinpachi." She mused.

* * *

_Oh great, there's more of them_, she thought, glaring from one man to the other as she stood at the girl's side, her right arm extended to block the girl from moving away from her side.

"Chizu-chan, stay at my back," she whispered to the girl, perking her ears.  
"K-Kawa-chan," she looked at her in surprise before the woman grunted and lunged at the man nearest, her _katana_ swinging out at his belly and cutting him.

The man fell back.

"You bitch!" One of the other men snarled before two of them lunged at the brave woman.  
"Kawa!" Chizuru exclaimed, watching as she slammed her foot into one of the men's face, knocking him back; his friend flew forward, _katana_ raised high.

Kawa sliced at his open chest, the man's grunt of pain ringing in the air as he fell back and blood flew.  
She huffed and grinned at the rest of the men still standing, blood dripping from the sharp side of her _katana_. "I've never seen a pack of bigger crybabies in all my life." She mused coolly.

The rest of the men tensed around the two women.  
Someone placed a hand on her shoulder, stirring her attention away from the brave and reckless woman as she looked up to see the familiar face of Saitou Hajime stepping forward.

"Saitou, you bastard." One of the men spat as he stood at the woman's side.

She glanced at him and smiled. "I was wondering when you would show up." She mused as he drew his _katana_.  
"It figures you of all women would act so brashly without any help needed." He returned, baring his _katana_.

Kawa laughed softly. "Charming as always." She sighed.  
Hajime glanced at the girl. "Get out of here, Yukimura." He advised.

Chizuru nodded and started to run away before one of the men lunged at her.

A _wakizashi_ sailed into the man's head from behind, stabbing and sending him down.  
"Get going, now; Hajime and I will finish them." Kawa ordered, yanking her short sword out of the man's head and nodding to the girl, smiling assuringly at the girl's worried expression.

She sprinted away from the scene.

"Damn bitch, you'll pay for that!" One of the men swung his blade down on the woman's head.

She caught his blade, smiling in a seductive way. "I will, hm? I doubt it'll be _my_ blood being spilled!" She rammed her fist into his gut.  
The man grunted and drew back, spitting out a wad of blood.

Kawa lunged, her _wakizashi_ slicing through his neck; the man's head rolled as the beheaded body fell.

_Perhaps she has some skill after all_, Hajime thought, lunging at the second man and cutting him down.

Cutting down the remaining men was easier done than they expected.

She looked over at him as he flicked his blade to the side, blood flying from the blade. "Are you all right?" She asked quietly, perking his ears.  
He nodded and went to her side as she sheathed her _katana_ and _wakizashi_, briefly eyeing the smudge of blood on her arm. "Your skill with a blade seems to have gotten better since I left." He mused.

Kawa blushed and then shrugged, smiling at him. "Guess it has." She lowered her gaze to her arms and then looked at him. "You're not leaving us again, are you?" She wondered, her voice subdued.  
Hajime blinked as he could easily tell that she was hoping he wasn't going to leave again; he shook his head. "As far as I know, I'm staying." He said, perking her ears.

She smiled again, her eyes happy; she threw her arms around his neck, catching him off guard.  
He quieted and held onto her waist, letting her pull back to smile up at him again. "I'm glad. It's been pretty boring without you around, y'know." She admitted.

Hajime smirked slightly at her words, glancing at the bridge behind them and reluctantly letting her slip out of his arms. "Come, it's most likely the others are in over their heads again." He mused, looking at her.

Kawa rolled her eyes and nodded, sighing. "Doesn't surprise me. Let's go, then," she replied, kissing him lightly before sprinting away; he watched her lead and smiled to himself, following quickly at her heels.

::::::::::::::::::xx::::::::::::::::::

"Chizu-chan!" She ran to the girl's side as she supported an unconscious Heisuke.

"Kawa, you're both all right," the girl said in relief, looking at Shinpachi, Sano, and Hajime as they stood against the remaining Satsuma men. "And Saitou-san?" She asked.  
She nodded. "He's fine. Those Satsuma guys won't be, though, when he's done with them." She answered, a smirk on her lips as she also looked at the scene.  
She looked at her and nodded slightly. "Right," she said.

* * *

_feedback is loved, so review please. thanks~_


	7. Running Out of Time

_not much to put here atm, sorry guys. other than that, enjoy!_

_i don't own Hakuouki; the only character i own is Kawa._

* * *

_**Chapter Seven: Running Out of Time**_

She ran to the source of the noise, stopping to see Souji stumble into his room.  
"Souji," she declared, rushing to his side and helping him up.

"K-Kawa, what're you doing here...?" He demanded, his voice raspy, making her ears hurt at hearing him sound so off-character.  
"Do you really think you can brush me off by saying that you're doing better?" She answered, meeting his green gaze.

He coughed, shaking her off as he grappled for his _katana_, using it to hold himself up. "You shouldn't be here, it's late. Go to bed." He ordered, looking at her, seeing that she looked pained to see him in such a weakened state.  
She frowned and shook her head. "Don't be ridiculous, I'm not leaving your side, you idiot." She shot back, watching him reach inside his robes for a small vial.

Her eyes widened as she looked at the red liquid inside the vial.

"Souji," she breathed quietly, watching him pop the lid off. "Where did you get that?" She demanded.  
"Stay out of this, Kawa," he advised, bringing the vial to his mouth and drinking from it.

"Souji, **don't**!" She exclaimed, backing slightly as he cried out in pain and doubled over, bowing down onto his bed.

The sight of him in pain made her insides hurt. "Souji," she said, reaching to him.  
"**S-stay away, Kawa**!" He shouted, making her flinch and pull her hand back.

"Souji," she whimpered his name, watching in shock as his hair changed to look like snow and his eyes turn red.

He gripped the sheets, sitting up and looking at her.  
"Souji, is that you?" She wondered softly, lifting a hand to his cheek.  
He wordlessly shoved her into the far wall, rushing to change out of his sleeping wear and abandon the woman.

She grimaced and rubbed her head gingerly, looking to see he had left the room.  
"Souji!" She shouted, sprinting out into the darkness after him.

* * *

"Souji!"

"Okita-san!"

Chizuru, Kawa, and Heisuke sprinted for his figure that stood cloaked in fog.

He moved forward.  
"**Souji**!" Kawa cried as she picked up the pace and willed her feet to run faster.

Two gunshots rang out in the night.

"**_NO!_**" She screamed.

He glared into the alley once the two gunmen had left, sinking to his knees.

"**SOUJI**!"  
Kawa dove for him, throwing her arms around his shoulders and grabbing him before he fell.

He grimaced and glanced up at her, feeling his gut lurch at seeing her on the verge of tears. "I-I thought I told you to stay away," he growled.

She scowled at him. "Shut up, you're bleeding." She shot back, her voice cracking as she willed the tears to not fall; she lifted a hand to stroke his cheek. "You're such an idiot." She croaked.

Souji huffed as best he could and cracked a smirk. "You're so beautiful," he returned weakly, perking her ears.  
Kawa closed her eyes tight and buried her face into his neck. "Idiot!" She whimpered.

* * *

He watched as she put down the polishing cloth, looking down at the spotless _wakizashi_ in her lap. "You've been quiet these past few days." He mused, disturbing the silence around them.

She looked up briefly before shrugging. "It's nothing serious." She replied, vainly praying he'd change subject.

Hajime lifted a brow. "It doesn't seem that way." He said.  
Kawa glanced up at him and sighed. "I don't want to talk about it, Hajime." She stated patiently.

He quieted, looking at the _wakizashi_ as she placed it back in its sheath. "So you **did** like Okita-san, after all." He mused, perking her ears.  
She looked up at him, lowering her gaze again. "How did you find out?" She asked softly.

Hajime glanced up at her. "Do you love him?" He wondered, seeing her flinch and her cheeks burn.

Kawa shook her head. "I don't know." She said.

He scowled at her. "Do you love **me**?" He asked, seeing her cheeks burn a darker shade of pink.  
She looked up at him. "Hajime," she began.

"Do you?" He asked.  
She lowered her gaze. "I... I can't answer that." She said quietly.

He scowled again. "Why not?" He demanded.  
She closed her eyes tight for a moment and scowled. "Because I'm _afraid_, okay?" She returned.

Hajime held her stare in his own gaze, seeing her flinch slightly. "Afraid of what?" He asked.  
Kawa looked down at her lap and curled her fingers in the fabric of her _hakama_. "I'm afraid that you... that you'll die." She whispered.

He scoffed at her ridiculous idea and shook his head. "I'm **not** going to die anytime soon, Kawa..." He reminded.  
She shook her head. "I know! I just, I've been wary of taking things a step farther than friendship with you, or Souji, because of that fear. I don't want to be left alone." She admitted quietly.  
He looked at her and frowned, reaching to grasp her hand; she blushed slightly, squeezing his hand tight. "I'm **not** going to leave you alone, either." He stated.

Kawa blushed again and nodded, putting her swords away to move closer to kiss him. "Thank you." She said softly.  
Hajime kissed her hard, stroking her cheek and feeling her lean onto him.

* * *

He listened as her familiar footsteps came short of a few feet away from his back.  
"Toshi, are you okay?" She asked quietly, folding her arms in the sleeves of her blue _haori_ Souji had given her a few years back.

He glanced back at her to see she looked like she hadn't gotten enough sleep, her gray eyes concerned as they looked at him imploringly; he looked away. "I'll be fine." He replied.  
She smirked softly at his usual response. "You always say that, that's the only way I can tell you're lying." She mused, walking forward to stand at his side.

Hijikata looked down at her and sort of smirked. "You seem to have gotten stronger, since all of this happened." He noted, perking her ears.  
Kawa blushed slightly and smiled. "Is that your way of saying you're proud of me?" She wondered.

He looked out at the ocean and huffed. "Don't let that go to your head." He warned.  
She rolled her eyes and smiled again. "I'm glad you're doing okay, too." She said.

He smiled slightly, watching her pull away from his side to retreat below deck. "Kawa," he said, making her pause.  
She looked at him. "What is it?" She wondered.

Hijikata nodded. "I'm glad, that you decided to stay with us this long." He said.  
Kawa smiled again and shrugged. "A touch of femininity never hurt, Toshi-nii." She replied, retreating below deck and leaving him to his thoughts once more.

* * *

**_feedback is loved, so review please! thanks~ _**  
_**also**__, this chapter marks the ending of Shinsengumi Kitan and the next chapter marks the beginning of Hekketsuroku. just a little FYI._


	8. World Without Words, pt1

_wardrobe change; also, short chapter. again; sorry. lol anyway, enjoy._

_i don't own Hakuouki; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

_**Chapter Eight: World Without Words, Part One**_

"Whoa, you look great, Kawa-chan!" Heisuke said lightly.  
"I'll say; damn, you look so pretty!" Shinpachi chimed with a whistle.

The woman scoffed and smirked at them both, rolling her eyes. "Shut up, you two. Geez, you're worse than Souji." She chided with a laugh.

Kawa had changed her wardrobe (begrudgingly) to look more Western, wearing a dark gray buttoned shirt underneath a crimson-colored vest, black breeches, and knee-high boots with silver on the buckles; she unbuttoned the first four buttons of her shirt to let her neck breathe, allowing a flash of her cleavage to show, slipping her _katana_ and _wakizashi_ into the blue sash tied at her waist and making sure they were held tight.

"That shade of red makes you look more fitting than that vest you used to wear." Hajime pointed out, making her blush.  
She smirked and punched his arm affectionately. "Don't start _too_, Haji-kun," she teased, seeing his ears burn at the pet-name and the face he made, earning a laugh from her.

"'**Haji-kun**'? How **_cute_** of ya, **Saitou-san**!" Shinpachi teased, ignoring the death glare shot in his direction from the aforementioned captain.

"Wah, Kawa-chan, you look so _different_!" Chizuru exclaimed, perking her ears; she looked over at the girl and smiled lightly.  
"Thanks, Chizu-chan. Hey, can you help me with something later?" She asked, perking the girl's ears.

She looked at her confusedly. "With what?" She asked.  
She waved her arms frantically. "It's somethin' important, okay? Don't tell the boys!" She hissed, earning a sweatdrop from the girl.

She nodded. "O-OK, I won't tell." She said.

* * *

She looked at her as she offered her the short knife. "Um, what's this for?" She asked.

She held up her ponytail. "Cut my hair." She urged.

"Huh? B-But, Kawa-chan, why...?" She began.

"Isn't it obvious? If I'm gonna look modern, I might as well cut my hair to look better. Besides, most men won't recognize that I'm a woman if my hair is shorter." She explained, looking up at her and smiling lightly. "_Please_, Chizu-chan?" She requested, clapping her hands together and looking up at her pleadingly.

The girl quieted and nodded, smiling. "Right," she said, letting her straighten and look away from her as she started to cut her hair.

It was five minutes later before she finished. "There! It's done." She said.

She pulled the mirror to her and widened her eyes slightly; the small mane of jet black hair was gone and cropped so the back of her head was shorter, her black bangs seeming more tousled so she now resembled her half-brother better. "Whoa." She mused softly.

"I didn't mess up, did I?" Chizuru wondered nervously.  
Kawa straightened and smiled at her. "No, you did great, Chizu-chan! I love it. Thanks a lot." She said, hugging the girl lightly before they pulled apart.

The girl smiled at her. "You're welcome. Um, Kawa-chan, did... did Hijikata-san say anything, about earlier?" She asked hesitantly, referring to seeing him in his modern wardrobe.  
She blinked before her eyes softened. "Nothing cruel, I can assure you that." She replied.

Chizuru blinked before she blushed, nodding. "Okay, I'm glad!" She smiled lightly.  
Kawa chuckled gently. _Maybe my hunch was correct_, she thought.

* * *

He grabbed a fistful of her vest and pulled. "Get back!" He declared, making her retreat to stand behind him.  
She blinked and then scowled. "I'm staying with you, y'know," she replied.

Hajime widened his eyes slightly and scowled. "Go with Chizuru," he advised, perking her ears.  
Kawa looked at him. "Are you crazy? These soldiers are Furies, you know that...!" She argued.

"Yasakawa." He snapped, quieting her; she looked at him stubbornly before she looked away.  
"Don't die on me." She ordered, kissing him hard; he kissed back before he let her slip out of his fingers and after Chizuru and Kondou-san.

"Be careful." He added softly, returning to the task at hand and slicing through another soldier.  
She glanced back at him. "Hajime," she muttered, sprinting after the girl.

* * *

_feedback is loved so review please, thanks~_


	9. World Without Words, pt2: We Live

_action scene again; hopefully this one is better than the previous ones. anyway, enjoy._

_i do not own Hakuouki; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

_**Chapter Nine: World Without Words, Part Two: We Live**_

"Chizuru!" She barked alertly.

A metallic '_klang_' rang out; she widened her eyes in shock.

"Okita-san!" The girl exclaimed in surprise as he blocked the boy Kaoru from cutting down his sister.

"Souji," Kawa breathed in relief, watching him and Kaoru begin to fight; she hurried to the girl's side. "Chizuru, are you okay?" She asked concernedly, looking at her.

She nodded, looking up at the older girl's concerned gray eyes. "Yes, I'm all right. Kawa-chan, is Kondou-san..?" She asked.  
She nodded back, smiling. "Kondou-san is fine. Here, you dropped this," she said, handing her her _wakizashi_.

Chizuru took it, standing to her feet as her friend straightened at her side.  
Souji sank to the ground, coughing, his Fury-white hair gone and replaced with his natural brown hair.

"**Souji**!" She exclaimed, watching as the boy neared him; she grunted and sprinted forward, her _katana_ clashing with his.

"K-Kawa," he coughed, looking up as she knocked Kaoru away from him, holding her _katana_ tight in hand.  
She glanced down at him and smiled. "Don't thank me yet, _oni_-boy." She replied quietly, watching the boy regain himself out of the corner of her eye; she straightened, extending her right arm out to block his path.

The boy only scowled at the brazen woman that had stolen his chance. "Aren't you a little confused about wielding that blade?" He wondered, hinting at the fact that women were forbidden to wield a sword.

She glowered at him. "Whatever the hell you've been telling Souji, it's obviously a load of shit! If you hurt him again, I'll kill you." She spat at his feet, clenching the hilt of her _katana_ tightly so that her knuckles looked white.

He scoffed. "How sweet; it makes me want to puke!" He charged her.

Kawa glanced at her comrade and smirked. "Stay back." She ordered gently, facing the boy and blocking his swing, knocking him away again and watching as he disappeared from infront of her.

"Kawa!" Souji barked as she felt the air still at the back of her neck.  
Kawa ducked, swinging her right leg out and tripping the boy, hearing a muffled '_thud_' sound as he stumbled and fell.

She glared down at Kaoru, gripping her _katana_ tightly again. "You little bastard..!" She stabbed the ground where his head used to be as he disappeared again; her eyes widened slightly.

The cold point of a _katana_ rested near her right cheek, making her stand stock-still as she knew whose blade it was. "It doesn't surprise me that a human woman as weak as you would lose so easily." He said snidely.

Kawa huffed, looking at Souji's widened green eyes and smiling. "I forgot to thank you for saving us that night, the night you turned into a Fury... For saving me." She added quietly.

The blade abandoned her cheek as he raised it high.

"_**NO!**_" Souji shouted.

A _katana_ stabbed through the boy's back, protruding grotesquely from his chest, surprising Okita, Chizuru and Kondou-san; Kawa widened her eyes slightly.  
Kaoru darted a glance over his shoulder at his assailant and grimaced. "_Chikage Kazama_...!" He spat.  
"Losing your pride and dirtying the Yukimura name is unforgivable." Kazama said coldly, drawing his _katana_'s blade out of his back.

"Kawa," Souji grabbed her sash and pulled her forward as the boy fell face-down.  
Kawa embraced him, holding his head to her chest and glaring over her shoulder defensively. "Kazama," she acknowledged with a soft growl.

He glanced at the woman whose neck he'd saved, looking down at the bleeding _oni_, sheathing his blade.

She watched with stony gray eyes as he finished speaking and left them, turning to retreat into the bamboo forest.  
The girl rushed past them. "Chizuru!" She declared, making to release her comrade.

"Let her go," he declared, grabbing her vest and quieting her; she looked down at him and nodded, running a hand through his hair. "That was pretty reckless, what you did back there." He mused, his tone almost scolding.  
She smiled slightly and shook her head. "Should be grateful I saved you," she remarked softly.

Souji released her reluctantly, letting her help him to his feet. "It wouldn't have meant shit if you'd have died in the process, idiot." He stated, his green eyes hard and raw, making her shudder.  
Kawa blushed and lowered her gaze, looking up at him. "I know. Besides, Toshi-nii woulda killed you 'imself if I'd died." She added with a weak laugh.  
He smiled at her and ruffled her hair, picking up a lock of black hair that framed her face. "Your hair," he said quietly.  
She lowered her gaze again. "You hate it." She guessed.

Souji huffed. "Nah; it looks cute on you." He mused, perking her ears; she blushed again.  
Kawa chuckled. "Such a charmer," she teased; he smirked gently.

* * *

She knocked on his door.

"Who is it?" He sounded like he was coughing again; she winced a little, regaining herself. "Who else?" She replied calmly.

He seemed to smile. "It's open," he said.  
She slid the door open to see him sitting up in bed; he looked up at her and smirked. "What's with that face?" He asked lightly.

Kawa rolled her eyes, entering his room and closing the door behind her. "None of your business, dummy." She remarked, sitting at his side.  
Souji eyed her face a second time before shrugging. "So to what do I owe the pleasure of havin' a gorgeous lady like you come visit me?" He asked, making her blush.

She ignored the warmth burning her cheeks, huffing. "Don't start with that, will ya? I just came to check on you. Y'seem so lonely, over here." She explained, lowering her gaze to her lap.  
He quieted and glanced away. "And the others?" He asked.  
She looked up and smiled innocently. "The same. They miss you too, though. We all do." She mused quietly.

Souji looked at her, tearing his gaze away as he started on another coughing fit.  
Kawa rubbed his back, holding onto his shoulders as the coughing eased slowly.

He looked up with one eye to see she looked pained, worry filling her gray eyes and etching lines in her beautiful face. "I'm all right," he urged, trying to be strong for her sake; the last thing he wanted was to see tears in those gray stars of hers.  
She frowned and nodded slightly, tracing her finger down his shoulderblade absently. "I know." She said simply.

Souji reached to wrap an arm around her shoulders, making her blush again. "You worry too much." He mused quietly.  
Kawa lowered her gaze and scoffed. "I have to, with you acting like such a hotshot." She argued, glancing up at him stubbornly.

He rolled his eyes, quieting. "I'm sorry if I scared you, that night." He said softly, perking her ears.  
She shook her head, closing her eyes. "I've seen worse." She shrugged, resting her forehead against his cheek.  
He ran a hand through her cropped jet black hair, his free arm folding over her back as he held her close.

Kawa blushed again and lifted her head to meet his green eyes. "The only thing I was afraid of was losing an idiot like you." She mused quietly.  
Souji laughed quietly, suppressing another cough. "Is _that_ the thanks I get for takin' silver bullets to save your ass?" He teased.  
She giggled and grinned softly, stroking his cheek. "For now." She said lightly.  
He made a face, earning another giggle; he smiled, pressing his forehead to hers, quieting her; she blushed again, glancing at his lips. "Souji," she began, watching his lips descend on hers.

Souji kissed her tenderly, his arms tightening on her back and shoulders protectively.  
Kawa shivered and hugged his neck, kissing back softly, curling her fingers in his cropped brown hair.

He groaned, making her pull out of his arms for fear of having hurt him; he grabbed her arm, pulling her back. She blushed humbly, looking at him.  
She scooted closer to kiss him tenderly, feeling his arms fold on her waist as he kissed back, silently begging her to not leave him.

Kawa pressed her lips harder against his, wordlessly obliging to his silent plea, curling her fingers in his hair again as he grabbed her ribs and squeezed.  
Souji stroked her hair, hearing her groan softly and only making him smile more, as he kissed her eagerly.  
She smiled as well, ducking to kiss his neck softly as he held her protectively to his chest, resting his head ontop of hers.

Two pairs of footsteps sounded outside of the room, making them scramble away from each other.

She blushed and winked at him, seeing him smirk and wink back, only making her laugh softly.  
He watched her straighten to sit at his bedside as she had minutes ago as Sano and Chizuru opened the door to his room.

"Okita-san," the girl greeted lightly.  
"Hey, how're you feelin'..?" Sano wondered, both of them quieting when seeing Kawa sitting at his bedside.  
She looked up at them and smiled lightly. "Hey, you two! I, uh, I just came to see Souji, earlier, and we've been..." She began to explain.

"**Making passionate love, that's what**!" Souji interjected lightly, quieting the older girl; she blushed, her cheeks burning red, as Chizuru also blushed at his ludicrous words.  
Kawa punched his arm. "Bastard, that's not what I was gonna say!" She scolded annoyedly, glaring at him.

He laughed. "The hell it wasn't! It's not like ya don't also feel somethin', _Kawa-chan_~," he teased, winking at her.  
She huffed and scowled at him, blushing more; she straightened to her feet. "Idiot _oni_," she snapped, turning on her heel to exit his room.

"**Love ya too, beautiful**!" He called, another coughing fit overcoming him for raising his voice.  
She paused before she huffed. _Serves him right_, she thought, storming away down the walkway.

Kawa yelped when she accidentally crashed into someone's chest face-first.  
"Watch where you're going," a familiar voice scolded as she pulled away to rub her nose gingerly and shake her head.

She looked up through stinging tears to see the blue eyes of Saitou Hajime; she blushed and pouted. "D-don't tell me what to do; geez, that hurt! What're you wearing under that, a steel chest guard?" She demanded, scowling.

Hajime rolled his eyes at her defensive words. "I was wondering where you ran to; though I didn't expect you to crash into me like that." He added with a sweatdrop.

Kawa huffed and blushed again. "Well, you found me." She said, crossing her arms at her chest. "What was so important that you were looking for me?" She wondered.

He returned the huff. "I was just curious. Besides, you seemed kind of quiet again, like before." He explained.

She nodded and lowered her gaze. "I'm all right." She looked up at him and smiled softly. "Thank you for worrying though, Haji-kun." She added gently.

He smiled as well and nodded. "It's no trouble," he shrugged.

* * *

She sighed as she opened his door, perking up to see him sitting over a desk writing something; she scowled. "Do you never listen?" She wondered.  
He glanced up at her from writing. "To what, your scolding?" He returned as she entered his room.

She sat down at his side and kept the scowl on her face. "That's not what I meant; go back to sleep, you'll catch your death acting like an idiot." She advised.  
He looked up at her. "Who said I'd 'catch my death acting like an idiot'? I'll be fine, Kawa." He protested.

Kawa quieted and reluctantly backed down, sighing. "Good grief, you're just about the most stubborn man I've ever met." She mused.  
Hijikata smirked slightly. "It's not like you're so perfect, either." He remarked.

She blinked before scowling again. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?" She demanded, crossing her arms at her chest.

"Nothing more than what I meant. Sometimes I wonder if it's not _you_ who's the most stubborn woman I've ever met." He explained, his violet eyes meeting her annoyed gray eyes.

Kawa huffed and ran a hand through her hair. "You're still an idiot, Toshi-nii." She mused.

Hijikata smiled at her familiar remark that meant she'd given up arguing a subject, looking down at the paper he'd been writing on. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, perking her ears.

She tilted her head to one side. "For what?"

He looked at her again, finding it rather creepy that her newest hairstyle made her look a lot like himself. "For dragging you out here; I never expected this war to uproot us from one place to the next." He shrugged.

Her eyes softened and she shrugged. "It's not your fault; if anything, it's mine for thinking we'd always remain in Kyoto, that nothing would hurt us. But obviously, that was a stupid idea." She laughed quietly. "Talk about bad luck." She mused.

Hijikata quieted and nodded slightly. "Yeah, bad luck." He mused quietly.  
Kawa looked at him, perking up as the girl's footsteps came to his door and she entered the room.

Chizuru blinked. "Oh, Kawa-chan. Um, I didn't know you were here..." She explained sheepishly.

She smiled up at the girl and shrugged. "I was just talking with Toshi," she replied, straightening to her feet and planting a hand on her head, ruffling her hair gently. "I'll leave you to your job, Chizu-chan." She said, smiling again before she walked away from her brother's room.

* * *

_feedback is loved, so review please. thanks~_


	10. Hero: Your Voice Was All I Heard

_sad moment coming up here, folks. other than that, enjoy._

_i don't own Hakuouki; Kawa belongs to me._

* * *

_**Chapter Ten: Hero: Your Voice Was All I Heard  
**_

"Why did you leave Kondou-san to die!?" He demanded, shaking him again.

He glared slightly at him.

"**Souji, enough**!"

She shoved him away from her brother, standing defiantly between the two men. "Let him be, he's still recuperating from his injuries." She pleaded, glaring into his green eyes. "Please, Souji." She added, her gray eyes begging him to not force her to defend her brother against him.

He glared at her. "Kawa, why didn't you stop him!?" He demanded angrily.

She quieted and smiled sadly. "Kondou-san made us leave. He wanted us to live, so he acted as a scapegoat." She explained, looking at him.  
Souji quieted and then glared again, looking away.

"Souji," Kawa reached for his hand; he jerked away, making her drop her hand and lift it to rub her arm gingerly.

He walked away from them.  
"Okita-san," the girl declared as she followed his retreat.

Kawa quieted and looked at her brother. "Are you all right, Toshi?" She asked gently.  
Hijikata nodded. "I'm fine. Go after him," he ordered, looking at her; she nodded and smiled slightly at him, sprinting after Chizuru.

* * *

"Okita-san," the girl began as he started coughing.

"Stay back!" He barked between coughs, covering his mouth.

She skidded to a halt near the girl, surprising her.  
"K-Kawa-chan," she said as she dropped to regain her breath, gripping her knees.

"Where the hell do you think you're goin', Souji?" She demanded, looking at him past locks of black hair that got in her eyes.

He spat out blood onto his handkerchief, straightening. "I never expected Kondou-san to pass away before me. I always thought I'd go first." He mused; she flinched at hearing that, straightening to her feet.

Kawa scowled at him, quieting as the girl spoke up.

"...Now I think Hijikata-san is risking his life to protect the Shinsengumi." She finished quietly.  
She lowered her gaze at hearing that Kondou-san had died, clenching her fists.

"... I can't forgive him, no matter what you say. I can't follow him. So I'm going to leave Hijikata-san in your capable hands, Chizuru-chan. And yours, Kawa." Souji said, perking her ears.

Kawa widened her eyes slightly; she lowered her gaze again, her hands shaking slightly. "Souji." She said softly.

He smiled slightly at the two women before he started walking away into the darkness.

"Wait!" She declared, sprinting after him.

Souji paused, looking at the black-haired woman, at her gray eyes that reminded him of dark stars.  
Kawa quieted and then scowled up at him. "Stay," she pleaded softly.

He lowered his gaze and shook his head. "You know I can't." He replied.  
She looked down at her shaking fists, closing her eyes tightly before she punched him; he blinked and let her hit him, hearing her weeping softly.

Souji lifted her chin gently, looking into her tear-filled gray eyes. "Kawa, don't cry," he urged quietly.  
Kawa shook her head. "I can't help it! Not with you leaving..." She fell silent, looking away from his green eyes.

He wrapped his arms around her, letting her cry into his shoulder; he held her tight, remembering the day she'd visited him, that day feeling like it was years ago when it was only a few months back; he squeezed her waist, burying his nose into her hair.  
"I hate seein' you cry. It makes me feel like I've failed in protecting you, in the past." He closed his eyes. "Kawa, I love you. I've loved you since that day you first joined the Shinsengumi." He said softly.

She knotted her fingers in his hair, closing her eyes tightly as the tears burned when they rolled down her cheeks. "I love you too. I... Will we see each other again, one day?" She asked quietly.

Souji smiled sadly, kissing the crown of her head. "I hope so. But next time, I don't wanna see you crying. Got it?" He requested, hoping to sound more like his old self, the old self she loved most.

Kawa nodded, pulling back a little to smile up at him, tearstains on her face. "I won't. I love you, Souji. Please remember that." She amended.

He kissed her lovingly, tenderly, feeling her lips press hard against his own as she returned the kiss, his arms holding her to his chest protectively, as if it was the last kiss they would share before he died.  
She cried silently, pulling away to look up at him.

Souji brushed the tears away, cupping her cheek, before he reluctantly let her go.  
Kawa watched him pull away, not without kissing her forehead tenderly; he smiled for her, turning to continue down the path.

She closed her eyes tight and sighed softly.

* * *

She stormed away down the walkway.  
He looked up from polishing his sword to see her storming away; he exhaled and sheathed his blade, straightening to follow her.

"Kawa," he beckoned, his call falling on deaf ears.  
She looked like she was angered about something; normally, he wouldn't bother if she was in a pissy mood, but he felt something was wrong this time.

"Yasakawa, **stop**." He spoke her full name.

She flinched at hearing him call her by her full name, her boots coming to a halt.  
"What is it?" She replied at last, her voice thick with emotion.  
He took a step closer to her. "Is something wrong?" He asked.

She shook her head. "I'm fine." She answered softly.  
He frowned as he could almost smell the lie in her words. "Kawa, don't lie to me." He quipped.

"I said I'm **fine**, Hajime." She spat, starting to walk away again.

His right hand lashed out and grabbed her wrist, halting her; she winced slightly, keeping her gaze away from his, knowing that his blue eyes would see everything.

He frowned again. "I know you're not fine. You're lying, and it doesn't work on me: you know it." He insisted patiently.

She lowered her gaze as he felt her wrist shaking in his grip. "Souji," she began softly; he perked his ears. She felt tears stinging at her eyes. "He's dead. Chizuru, she... she told me, that he died, protecting us."  
Her voice almost cracked as the tears fell slowly down her cheeks. "He died protecting us, he died protecting _me_." She whispered, her head dipping down, her black bangs shielding her hurt gray eyes from his questioning blue.

Hajime gingerly released her wrist, watching her slowly sink to her knees, her palms plastering themselves to the walkway's wooden surface. "It's not your fault, Kawa..." He tried to reassure her.

Kawa shook her head, shaking her tousled bangs. "**It ****_is_**** my fault**! If I'd have gone with him, he wouldn't have _died_..." She cried, tears continuing to spill down her cheeks and onto the floor beneath her. "A-and now he's... he's gone." She whimpered.

He scowled, his gut lurching at seeing her so distraught; he quieted and kneeled next to her, gingerly lifting her into his arms.  
She yelped slightly, looking up at him as he carried her down the walkway. "H-Hajime," she began in surprise.

He ignored her, using his foot and sliding her door open wide as he carried her inside, setting her down on her bed.  
She watched him sink to sit down before her, a quiet sigh escaping him.

"I'm sorry, that Okita-san is gone. But you should feel honored, that he died," he ignored her flinch, "protecting you. He died a warrior's death, that's what is most important. If he hadn't done so, you... you wouldn't be here." He stated, his voice softening as the mental image of seeing this woman he'd grown to like (possibly love) die before him made his blood boil.

She nodded, sitting up slightly and brushing the tears from her face. "Hajime," she spoke softly, perking his ears; he looked at her. "What is it?" He asked.

Kawa lowered her gaze. "I know asking this is stupid, because I don't know what tomorrow will bring," she smiled weakly, looking up at him with puffy gray eyes.

He then realized that she was beautiful, that she wasn't the same bratty twenty-year-old that had first joined their ranks four years ago, that she was a woman who was strong and caring and brave; and the one thing he, Saitou Hajime, hated most, would be to see her cry.

She lifted a hand to hold his cheek; he stirred from his reverie and held her hand to his cheek, seeing her blush slightly and smile. "Don't leave me." She pleaded softly.

Hajime nodded slightly and felt her stroke his hair. "I doubt I ever could." He mused quietly; she laughed weakly. He met her softened gray eyes that reminded him of melted silver. "Don't cry. That's the only thing I'm asking of you." He lowered his gaze. "Don't cry, especially for me." He requested softly.

Kawa nodded slightly as her fingers lowered to the scarf around his neck. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try not to." She replied, pulling him forward to kiss him.

He groaned softly at feeling her soft lips crushed against his, his arms finding her back and pulling her forward, kissing her lovingly.  
She blushed slightly and curled her fingers in his hair, leaning onto him as his arms tightened protectively, squeezing her back. "Hajime," she began softly.  
He opened his eyes partly and smirked softly, kissing her again. "You talk too much." He chided, hearing her laugh weakly.

Kawa smiled at him, embracing him tightly and burying her face into his neck.  
Hajime sighed and held onto her, running a hand through her black hair.

"I do love you, you know. I felt like you should know that." She pointed out softly, perking his ears.  
He smiled, nodding. "It helps, considering I had the sudden epiphany to kill Okita-san for making you cry." He mused in a low tone, feeling her wince slightly.  
Kawa closed her eyes and felt him tighten his grip on her back. "Calm down, samurai." She chided quietly.  
Hajime looked down at her and sort of sighed. "Now you're the one who's not being fair," he muttered, making a face; she laughed quietly.

* * *

_feedback is loved, so review please. thanks~ _


	11. I Don't Hate You

_yo, sorry for the wait on the update._  
_(A/N) as a response to Aogetsu: Kawa isn't a cheater. she loves the both of them (Souji/Hajime) but she was having a hard time choosing which one she loved more. i'm sorry if she seems like that kind of girl. /bows apologetically ^^ to my other readers, Kawa will end up with one of the two: you'll just have to wait and see who. :'D_

now, on with the story!

_i don't own Hakuouki; Kawa belongs to me. _

* * *

_**Chapter Eleven: I Don't Hate You, Boy - I Just Wanna Save You**_

He raised a brow. "You can't be _serious_..." He began.

She shook her head, smirking slightly. "Dead serious." She looked at her brother and met his slightly surprised violet gaze; she bowed respectfully.  
"Please allow me to accompany Saitou-kun to speak with the lord of the Aizu." She requested.

Hijikata instantly wiped the surprise from his face at hearing her request such a thing, looking at her bowed head.  
"So long as you by no means get in to or cause trouble, and not present yourself as a burden to Saitou-san, you are permitted." He nodded solemnly.

Kawa looked up past black hair to meet his violet eyes again, her own gray eyes widened at hearing that he had actually allowed her to leave; her face softened and she smiled. "Thank you, brother." She replied softly.

Hajime looked at her for a moment longer before he cleared his throat and straightened to his feet. "Very well, then I suppose there's no time left to spare. Kawa," he beckoned, leaving the meeting room.

She straightened as well and smiled after him, looking at the girl as she sat nearest her brother. "Chizuru," she said, perking her ears.

She looked at her curiously. "Yes, Kawa-chan?" She asked.  
She smiled at her. "You're in charge of Toshi, while I'm away with Saitou-kun. Please take good care of my brother." She requested, bowing slightly.

Chizuru nodded and smiled lightly. "I will! I hope you two come back safely," she replied, seeing the older girl return the smile.

"Hey, just what am I here, a toddler?" Hijikata demanded of both women, looking at his sibling with sore violet eyes as the younger girl laughed quietly with a sweatdrop on her brow.  
Kawa giggled and smirked at him. "Nah, just an oversized child. Other than that, you're golden, Toshi-nii-chan!" She teased, ignoring the glare he threw at her.

He glared pointedly up at her, sighing in reluctant defeat. "In any case, don't get yourself into any trouble, understood? And don't pester Saitou-san, for the gods' sakes." He added.

She nodded and winked. "Will do. See you two!" She said lightly, trotting away from the room after Hajime.  
"Be careful!" The girl called after her, poking her head out of the room to see the woman wave aimlessly in response.

:::::::::::::::oO::::::::::::::::

"**Hajime**!"

She sliced the head off of the soldier that planned to attack him from behind, her boot kicking the corpse away as the head rolled onto the ground.  
He nodded to her. Smudges of blood were on her cheek and chin, but none of them, he noticed were of her own blood (much to his relief).

"Both of you stop arguing over whose _katana_ is best; if we don't leave now we're **worse** than dead." She declared impatiently, scowling from the captain named Masaki to her own captain.

Hajime quieted and nodded, looking past her at the oncoming reinforcements for the Imperial Army. "Kawa, cover my back." He ordered.  
Kawa nodded. "You got it, _taichou,_" she smiled, seeing him return the smile.

* * *

"I will stay behind." He spoke up.

Her eyes widened. "_Hajime_," she began alertly, looking at him in bewilderment.

"Just as Otori-san said, it might be a matter of time before the Aizu domain falls. Until that time, it is the Aizu domain that has protected us up until this point. This domain is fighting to become true warriors until the end, and I will join them and be true to myself as a warrior. Hijikata-san, please go to Sendai." He stated, looking up at their vice-commander instead of the shocked woman sitting behind him.

She lowered her gaze and shook her head, her stomach sinking lower in her gut as he basically said he wanted to die where he stood; she seemed oblivious of the rest of the world, looking down at her _katana_ and _wakizashi_ sitting in her lap.

Sannan, Heisuke, and Shimada-san left, Chizuru followed them out of the meeting.

Kawa looked up and then looked over at her brother and Hajime, looking down at her lap to see she was clenching the sheath of her _katana_ tight, her knuckles white; she bowed her head and straightened, leaving the two men wordlessly.

::::::::::::::xO::::::::::::

He was crazy to want to die here.  
She scowled out at the forest, holding her arms tightly.

"You must be freezing, if you're holding yourself like that." His voice said behind her.  
She glanced back to see him coming towards her; she huffed and looked away. "I'm fine." She defended stiffly.

He came to a halt next to her, looking at her as she seemed lost in space, her eyes trained on the forest. "You're angry." He guessed.  
She released a shaky exhale. "You have no idea," she whispered bitterly.

Hajime looked out at the forest as well. "I suppose you have every right to be. I apologize, for letting you think that I'd always be there... For being there when Okita wasn't." He added softly, perking her ears as she winced slightly at the mention of her former love interest.

Kawa lowered her gaze to her boots, the warm sting of tears hurting her cheeks. "If I'd have asked you, would you have run away with me?" She asked quietly.

He looked at her. "Anywhere you wanted to go." He answered.  
She smiled sadly, feeling the hot tears fall down her cheeks. "Just so long as I found you with me, I wouldn't care where we went." She sniffed and rubbed her nose gingerly.

"Kawa," he began.

"Promise me that you won't die. Don't you die for some stupid pride, Saitou Hajime. Do you understand me?" She interjected, her tone turning stern and hard like stone, reminding him eerily of their "oni" commander.  
He quieted and seemed to smile. "Now I really have to make sure I don't die. Both you and Chizuru have made me swear to not die." He mused.

Kawa smiled softly and nodded. "Please, come back to me. Don't leave me alone forever." She pleaded as the tears welled in her eyes and fell softly.  
Hajime nodded. "I will. On my honor as a man, I won't leave you alone again." He amended.

She turned to throw herself into his arms.  
He groaned quietly and buried his face into her neck as she wept, hugging her hips tightly as she pleaded into his shoulder for him to return to her alive and whole, for him to take her away from this battle-ridden land when the war was over.

"I love you, Saitou Hajime. Don't forget me, ever." She begged.  
He nodded. "I love you too, Hijikata Yasakawa. I always have." He replied.

Kawa pulled away to crush her lips against his, passionately, as the tears fell down her cheeks again.  
Hajime kissed her back, lovingly, knotting his fingers in her jet black hair and closing his eyes tight.

She really meant it. Souji was like her sun, when he was around. But Hajime, he was her moon.

And between them both, she loved her moon the most.

* * *

_feedback is loved, so review please~ thanks! x'D_


	12. Savior - The Fading Sakura

_not much to put here atm, folks, just a reminder that this's the second to last chapter of the fic. also, there's a slightly sad moment in this chapter. just an FYI. enjoy!_

_i don't own Hakuouki; Kawa is mine._

* * *

_**Chapter Twelve: Savior - The Fading Sakura **_

"You _**what**__!?_" She jumped to her feet alertly.

He scowled. "You heard me. I will not hold you to the Shinsengumi or to myself any longer. You're free to do what you want." He stated sternly.

Tears started to gather in her eyes; she scowled at him, huffing. "But I... I want to stay, with you, nii-san." She clenched her fists.  
"Toshizou, you're out of your mind if you think I'm going to just run off..." She argued.

"**That is an ****_order_****, Yasakawa**." He snarled, instantly quieting her by the use of her full name, reminding her that he wasn't just her older sibling, but also the commander of the Bakumatsu... the commander of the Shinsengumi.

She lowered her gaze and shook her head. "First Souji, then Hajime, and now **you**! I **don't** want to lose you too, brother!" She cried, looking up at him angrily.

Hijikata quieted as she mentioned their supposedly-dead comrades, nearing her and lifting a hand to brush some hair from her face.  
"You won't lose me. It's as you said before, remember? We're family, whether you like it or not. So long as you carry the same pride and honor of our family name, you'll never lose me." He reminded, his voice quieted and maybe even gentle.

Kawa closed her eyes and embraced him tightly, hugging his shoulders. "But why _**me**_?" She demanded, her cheek pressed against his chest.

He held onto her, hugging her back tight. "Because as a woman, you were never meant to see the horrors of the battlefield. You're beautiful and strong; you would waste those traits if you continued to wield a sword and battle like a man. And even if I do die in battle, I want you to live your life as far from any battles as you can. I held you to the same code as the rest of our men for four years, and now what I want most is for you to be free of this life you should've never been dragged into." He explained quietly, hearing her sniff as her fingernails dug into his shoulderblades.

She buried her face into his chest. "You're such a fool, Toshi." She scolded weakly.

He chuckled softly at hearing her words, hugging her again. "I'll admit, I felt honored to fight alongside a woman as strong and brave as you." He added, perking her ears.

She smiled sadly and looked up at him. "I'm going to miss you. Even though you're the biggest jerk brother I've ever known." She mused sorely.

Hijikata gently let her go, seeing her gray eyes were sad and slightly puffy; he stroked her cheek, tucking a few locks of hair behind her left ear. "I apologize for letting you see all of this." He apologized, smiling sadly.

Kawa shrugged, smiling slightly. "It's okay; I woulda seen it sooner or later, right?" She guessed, rubbing her arm.

He nodded. "I suppose you're right. But I **do** have one last favor to ask of you, though." He requested, perking her ears.  
She nodded. "Name it." She replied quietly.

His eyes looked like hardened violet stones as they locked onto her gray gaze. "Look after Chizuru, for me." He asked.  
She nodded again and smiled softly. "Of course. I won't let anything happen to her." She vowed, knowing that her brother may be a stoic man most of the time, but when it came to that girl... It was almost like his facade melted instantly.

Hijikata nodded and smiled what appeared to be a genuine smile. "Good. I'm glad, that I can leave that last issue in your hands." He planted a hand on her head, running his fingers through her black hair.  
Kawa smiled for him, nodding. "Right," she mused softly.

* * *

She burst through the doors, perking her ears.  
She looked up from polishing her blade to see the girl was out of breath, excitement drawn across her face.

"What's up, Chizuru...?" She wondered.

"Kawa-chan, look," she showed her the letter gripped tight in her right hand.  
She looked at the letter and skimmed through it; her eyes widened.

Kawa looked at the girl and smiled. "I was beginning to wonder about him," she mused lightly, nodding. "I'm game if you are." She shrugged.  
Chizuru nodded vigorously.  
"Yes! I... I've been hoping, he'd send something." She admitted, her cheeks warming as she thought of that man.

She chuckled softly and straightened, sheathing her _katana_ and putting her kit away. "In that case, what the hell are you waiting for?" She wondered lightly.

She smiled lightly.

* * *

A warm grin formed on her lips.  
"**Aww, you two are so cute**~!" She squealed in delight.

Both Hijikata and Chizuru scrambled away at the sound of her voice.  
He scowled. "**_Damn it_**, Yasakawa, what in hell are you _**doing**_ here!?" He snarled, his cheeks burning as red as the color of her vest as the girl also blushed the same shade of red at being caught in the act.

She laughed, wiping a tear of laughter from her eye. "What else? You had me promise to look after Chizuru, right? So here I am. Catching you two in such a cute scene~!" She teased lightly.

Hijikata glowered daggers at her sly gaze, cutting his gaze to the side. "Good God, you're impossible as always." He growled.

Kawa laughed gently, embracing him tight before pulling away. "Whether you like it or not, we're still blood. And if you're going to battle, then so am I." She added sternly, smiling at him.

He quieted and frowned slightly. "You're not required to join in the battle, you know that..." He argued.

She frowned back and folded her arms across her chest. "I'm going with you! You told me that I was free to do what I want, and what I want most is to fight in the memory of our comrades that have died." Her fists shook slightly at the memory, but despite that, her gray eyes were hard as steel as she glowered up at him, appearing as a mirror image of himself.

Hijikata looked away at the mention of their late comrades and exhaled shakily. "Stubborn woman." He grumbled in defeat, scritching the back of his head.  
Kawa smiled again and sighed as well. "Damn straight." She said softly.

:::::::::::::II:::::::::::::

She watched Otori leave, lifting a brow. "A wife, huh?" She wondered.

He looked up from his paperwork. "Don't even **think** about it." He warned gruffly.

She blinked. "And why not? Otori-san's... _cute_." She protested, pausing for the appropriate word referring to the young man.

He scowled at her. "I **forbid** it. As your older sibling _and_ so long as I'm still _breathing_, I will not allow you to even **think** of marrying him." He snapped stubbornly.

She huffed and pouted, pursing her full lips and looking away. "Idiot _oni_." She then recalled what he said about keeping Chizuru and smiled to herself. "You're one strange man sometimes, Toshi." She mused with a sigh.

The girl looked between the siblings and laughed quietly.

Kawa pouted again. "Oi, Chizu-chan, that's not fair, laughing at my expense!" She exclaimed dramatically.  
Hijikata huffed. "On the contrary, I believe she's **right** in laughing at you." He mused coolly.

She scowled at him and scritched the back of her head in slight frustration. "You're so mean, Toshi," she pouted, straightening to leave his room. "I'm gonna head out for a bit, since you're such a _jerk_." She added over her shoulder, opening his door and slamming it behind her wake as she stormed out into the hall.

* * *

_feedback is loved, so review please!_

**A/N**: _this is the second to last chapter. i probably will put up another fic sometime in the future that's akin to the SSL AU of Hakuouki, so look forward to that! ^^_


	13. Savior - The Blade and the Sakura

_the last chapter! i know Kawa's been a crybaby in the previous chapter(s), but she strengthens up in this chapter, honest._  
_also, a cameo of someone who was believed to have died in battle... enjoy the chapter! :'D_

_i don't own Hakuouki; Kawa is mine._

* * *

_**Chapter Thirteen: Savior - The Blade and the Sakura [End Theme]**_

Her fists clenched and shook at her sides as he forced himself to get up. "Toshi," she drew her _katana_ and made to run forward, to help the last remnant of her family.

"_**Stay back, Kawa**__!_" He snarled, perking her ears; she skidded to a halt, her boots digging into the ground.

She looked at him worriedly, fighting a wince at seeing the blood from his injuries drip onto the earth. "But brother," she began concernedly, looking at his head of white Fury hair as her fingers tightened on the _katana_.  
"**That's an order**, **Yasakawa**." He growled, quieting her.

She lowered her gaze and nodded. "Right... _Hijikata_-_dono_." She added softly, reluctantly retreating to stand next to the girl.  
The girl looked up at her before her eyes returned to the two sparring warriors. "Hijikata-san," she began.  
She looked at her and planted a hand on her head gently. "If he's fighting to live for you, Chizuru, then my brother will win this." She pointed out softly.

Chizuru looked at her alertly before she nodded. "Right." She said quietly.  
Kawa smiled slightly, her eyes returning to the battle; her fingers tightened their grip on her _katana_.

_Live, you foolish_ oni, _please live! If you hurt this girl by dying, I'll drag you back from hell to kill you myself_, she mentally vowed, her gray eyes resembling hard steel, making her out to resemble Hijikata Toshizou better.

:::::::::::::::xX:::::::::::::::

She sank to her knees, digging her nails into the ground.

"You're such an idiot, Toshi!" She cried, the hot tears falling down her cheeks and spilling onto the ground beneath her.  
She wept for her brother, for Souji, for Hajime, for every one of their friends they'd lost, the sting of tears reminding her of cold rain.

The girl looked over at her. "Kawa-chan," she spoke quietly.  
She looked up at her past black lashes, seeing the girl had wept as well, tearstains on her cheeks.

Kawa straightened gingerly, walking forward to lift her brother's _katana_ from the ground. "Chizuru, would you mind if I kept this?" She asked gently, looking at her.  
Chizuru blinked and then nodded slightly. "I wouldn't mind." Her brown eyes softened. "I think he wouldn't mind either, if you kept his sword." She added, her voice quiet.

She nodded and smiled slightly. "He woulda liked one of us to keep it, I suppose. One of the people he cared about most." She mused, sheathing his katana and holding it close.  
She returned the smile. "Yeah, one of us." She amended quietly.

* * *

_[__**May, 1872**__]_

A few years passed.

"Hijikata-sama," she perked her ears as the voice of their apartment's landlord sounded behind the shoji door; a small smile formed on her lips as she briefly forgot that was her last name, now, and it was a name she carried with a pride and honor she'd promised to her brother three years back.

She looked up from writing something on her desk. "Yes, what is it?" She wondered, straightening to open the door, looking at the withered form of the landlady.

The elderly woman smiled up at the young woman. "There is a visitor here to see you, waiting in the lobby." She notified.

She blinked once before nodding. "A visitor?" She repeated quietly, watching the older woman smile again before she hobbled down the corridor.

She sighed quietly and slid the door open, closing it behind her wake before she trotted down the stairs to the ground floor.

::::::::::::::::oO:::::::::::::::

He looked about the shabby apartment's lobby, glancing to see one of the help look at him before she giggled and walked away into the recesses of the laundry room.

A slight sigh escaped him.

It had been a long time since he'd seen her. It was only a few years, but he sure felt like it was well over a hundred years.

She darted a glance into the lobby and her heart dropped from inside her chest; she leaned against the stairwell, closing her eyes tightly.

Her heart jumped up to start pounding in her ears.  
What was he doing here? And he... he was _alive_, after all this time...

She opened her eyes and huffed softly to herself, her shaking hands balling into fists at her sides.

"_**IDIOT**__!_"

A blur of red and black lunged at him as someone's foot connected with his head.  
He flew back, coming to a halt when his back hit the closed main door, dust flying in his wake.

He grimaced and sat up gingerly, lifting a hand to rub his forehead soothingly. "**Ow**..." He muttered, looking up through one eye at his attacker that stood over him.

She glared down at him, her right fist on her hip. He noticed that she'd allowed her black hair to grow, her once-short hair now touching the tops of her shoulders and threatening to spill down past her shoulderblades; she had changed her wardrobe to something more feminine, donning a red _kimono_ with black stars on the right shoulder, a thick blue sash tied at her waist.

Her gray eyes burned like annoyed steel as he could almost see the happiness threatening to spill out from behind her tough-girl facade. "I see you can still take a hit." She mused.

He gingerly got to his feet, scowling at her with annoyed blue eyes. "Your kick is as harsh as ever." He replied sorely.

Her strong shoulders lessened their tense form as a shiver rolled down her spine; she looked up at him, noticing that he'd grown a couple of inches and kept his raven-black hair in the same style he'd donned three years ago, his all-black garb being changed out with a navy _kosode_, a white sash tied at his waist, and dark gray _hakama_. Her eyes glanced to his right side to see he still carried his swords; her gaze softened at the familiar sight.

She brushed locks of hair from her face, lowering her hand to rub her left arm gingerly. "You heard, didn't you?" She wondered, indicating her brother's passing.  
He quieted and nodded. "I did. I came to offer my condolences," he replied quietly.

Her shoulders shook again; after all this time, she was able to talk to him... and to _see him_...!  
He looked at her. "Are you all right? ... Kawa," he asked.

A ripple of pleasure jolted down her spine at hearing him say her name (as only he could say her name in that way that made her shiver).  
She nodded, looking up at him with tears filling her eyes. "Hajime," she replied softly, closing her eyes in happiness and allowing a smile.

Saitou Hajime reached for her hand, gently pulling her forward to land in his chest.

Hijikata Kawa widened her eyes slightly before she closed her eyes again and buried her cheek into his shoulder, her arms finding his neck as she embraced him tightly.

He buried his face in her black hair and heard her weeping into his shoulder, relief washing over him at finding that she was alive, and back in his arms.  
She sniffed and looked up at his blue eyes that reminded her of dark rivers, a weak smile forming on her lips.

He kissed her hard, hearing her moan before she crushed her lips against his happily; he smiled and held her tightly, hoisting her high.  
She laughed and beamed at him, her heart soaring at seeing his beautiful blue eyes again.  
He kissed her again, gently setting her down on her feet, knotting his fingers in her hair and holding her close as he felt like he never wanted to let her go again.

"Oh there you are, Kawa-chan...!" A familiar voice declared behind them.  
He pulled away reluctantly from her to look over his shoulder at the owner of the voice; his eyes widened.

Yukimura Chizuru stood behind them, a bag of groceries slung over her shoulder and a look of surprise etched on her young face; the twenty-three year old girl stared into her friend's blue eyes.

Her eyes softened. "Saitou-san!" She declared, dropping the bag and embracing him.

He blinked before he smiled slightly and hugged her, gingerly letting her go. "You really have grown, Chizuru." He admitted, smiling at her happy-tear-filled brown eyes.  
She smiled lightly and nodded. "We... we both thought you'd... you know, a few years ago." She replied, lowering her gaze humbly.

Hajime looked at Kawa and smiled slightly. "Suppose it's a miracle that I didn't." He mused, seeing her smile happily at him.

Chizuru smiled again. "Right, well I'll make some tea!" She announced lightly, grabbing the bag from the ground and racing past the couple upstairs.

Kawa watched her leave and smiled, shaking her head. "Come on, I think there's some sake in the kitchen." She added, looking down at his hand and taking it in hers, squeezing; he nodded and smiled down at their intertwined hands, squeezing her fingers.

"Leave it to you to waste most of the sake," he mused with a shake of his head.

She pouted at him and huffed, using her free hand to scritch the back of her head like her brother used to. "**You're** still the same as ever, I see," she griped, dragging him upstairs.

He laughed gently.

* * *

**A/N**: _finally, this is over. to those of you who've read this, i hope you liked reading it as much as i liked writing it._  
_also, look forward to the next installment in my Hakuouki fics! they'll seem a bit dull compared to this, but it's gonna get better, honest._  
_  
and if you haven't done so all ready, __**REVIEW. PLEASE**__.~ thanks! :'D_

_until next time~_ - **xPorcelain Vampirex**


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